(Adds call for Security Council talks, background, quotes) MOSCOW, Feb 17 (Reuters) - Russia on Sunday urged the United Nations to annul Kosovo's declaration of independence and said it could cause an escalation in ethnic violence in the region. "We expect the U.N. mission and NATO-led forces in Kosovo to take immediate action to carry out their mandate ... including the annulling of the decisions of Pristina's self-governing organs and the taking of tough administrative measures against them," the foreign ministry said in a statement. "The decisions by the Kosovo leadership create the risk of an escalation of tension and inter-ethnic violence in the province and of new conflict in the Balkans," it said. A spokeswoman for the Russian U.N. mission said Moscow had called for Security Council consultations on the Kosovo independence declaration made earlier in the day. Other diplomats said consultations would take place at 1800 GMT. Belgrade branded Kosovo a "false state". The United States and most members of the European Union are expected to grant recognition soon. Russia has backed its ally Serbia in opposing independence for Kosovo. Before Sunday, it warned recognising Kosovo independence would create a dangerous legal precedent, opening a "Pandora's Box" of separatist tension across Europe. "Those who are considering supporting separatism should understand what dangerous consequences their actions threaten to have for world order, international stability and the authority of the U.N. Security Council's decisions that took decades to build," said the foreign ministry statement. "Russia fully supports the reaction of the Serbian leadership to the events in Kosovo and its justified demands to restore the territorial integrity of the country." (Reporting by Dmitry Solovyov; Writing by Christian Lowe; Editing by Tim Pearce)
An Albanian girl puts a ribbon with the word Albania on her dog in central Tirana February 17, 2008, as Albanians celebrate the imminent declaration of independence from Serbia by the ...
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